This invention is in the field of equipment for handling animals and in particular devices for restraining animals.
Devices are well known for restraining cattle and like animals to allow for various procedures such as testing, vaccination, branding, and so forth. Such devices commonly include a squeeze mechanism to apply pressure to the sides of the animal, a headgate, and a tailgate. Conventional headgates typically provide a pair of bars that move together behind the animal""s head to a position adjacent to the neck. The bars may be curved to follow the contours of the neck. The bars also may squeeze against the neck, but this can be dangerous to the animal, and so typically the animal can move forward and backward the length of the neck, from the head to the shoulders. Such conventional headgates are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,814,060 to Swenson and 5,263,438 to Cummings. A squeeze chute incorporating a headgate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,773 to Akins.
Injections of medicine, vaccine or the like are preferably made in the neck of cattle. Making such injections is difficult with existing headgates, since the animal can move back and forth along the length of the neck. The operator typically reaches through the side of the squeeze behind the headgate, or through the headgate from the front in order to reach the neck and do the injection. Restrained animals are often agitated and move in the headgate, often causing delay, broken needles, misplaced injections, or injury to the operator or the animal.
Present head restraining devices include a nose bar, which is attached to the animals nose and pushes the head back against the bars of the headgate. The device requires attachment and manipulation about the animal""s head, and when in place, the neck is not readily accessible. A head table can also be used, where a tether is placed around the head and winched to secure the head to a table. With these the neck is accessible, but the table must be moved away to allow the animal to exit, and requires considerable time to deploy. These present head restraints are difficult and hazardous to use when an animal is agitated, as is commonly the case. Such present devices as well tend to increase agitation because of the movement required around the animal""s head when installing and releasing the devices, and the forces exerted on the animal.
Head restraining devices are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,777,715 to Hill et al. and 4,162,685 to Knappenberger.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a headgate that includes a mechanism for restraining an animal""s head with the neck extending forward from the headgate, accessible for injections and the like. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a headgate that is adjustable to accommodate animals having necks with varying lengths.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of restraining an animal that comprises maintaining the head separated from the shoulders by a distance substantially equal to the length of the neck.
The invention provides, in one aspect, a headgate apparatus for restraining an animal having shoulders located at a front portion of a body of the animal, a neck extending forward from the shoulders, and a head located on a front end of the neck. The apparatus comprises a pair of vertically oriented shoulder bars movable between an open exit position, wherein the shoulder bars are separated by a space sufficient to allow the animal to pass between the shoulder bars, and a closed position, wherein the shoulder bars are separated by a space that is wide enough to accommodate the neck and narrow enough to prevent passage of the shoulders therebetween. A pair of vertically oriented head bars is mounted in front of the shoulder bars and are movable between an open exit position, wherein the head bars are separated by a space sufficient to allow the animal to pass between the head bars, and a closed position, wherein the head bars are separated by a space that is wide enough to accommodate the neck and narrow enough to prevent passage of the head therebetween, and wherein further in the closed position the head bars and shoulder bars are separated by a head separation distance sufficient to restrain backward and forward motion of the animal.
The invention provides, in a second aspect, a method of temporarily restraining an animal having shoulders located at a front portion of a body of the animal, a neck extending forward from the shoulders, and a head located on a front end of the neck. The method comprises restraining the body of the animal; positioning a pair of vertically oriented shoulder bars in a closed position such that one shoulder bar is adjacent each side of the neck in proximity to a corresponding shoulder; positioning a pair of vertically oriented head bars in a closed position such that one head bar is adjacent each side of the neck in proximity to the head; releasing the body and moving the head bars and shoulder bars away from the neck into an open position wherein the head bars are separated by a space sufficient to allow the animal to pass between the head bars, and the shoulder bars are separated by a space sufficient to allow the animal to pass between the shoulder bars.